When we Dairy farmed in Kutztown, PA (until July of 2006 when milk was $10.75
per 100lbs.), we were very fortunate to have an Experimental Organic Institute known as THE RODALE INSTITUTE
only a few miles to our south.

"Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People"
has been the Rodale Institute's message for more than 60 years.

Funded in large part by donations from individuals, government agencies, private foundations and
corporations, The Rodale Institute continues to promote soil quality practices to farmers worldwide, and to provide educational
programs for children - the generation for change.

On Monday, October 21st, 2002. The USDA began it's new program of certifying and plainly
labeling organically produced products. Organic foods are produced without toxic or persistant
chemicals, genitic engineering or irradiation. Organic meat and dairy animals are raised on organic feed without antibiotics
or synthetic hormones.

As far as the labeling on organic food products retailed in stores...

Organic products with "100 % organic ingredients" may be prominently labeled as such. Products with
fewer than 70% organic ingrediants may list them in fine print on the ingredient panel.

If ORGANICLY GROWN FOOD & LIKE PRODUCTS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, be sure
to read the label closely and expect to pay more for this type of food.

ORGANIC. Plain & Simple

USDA STANDARDS

AGRICULTURE Products

Organic refers to the way agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs,
dairy and fiber, are grown and processed. Methods rely on a healthy, rich soil and a balanced and diverse ecology without
the use of toxic chemicals. Sewage sludge fertilizers, genetically modified organisms and ionizing radiation (irradiation)
are not permitted.

LIVESTOCK Products

Organic Meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products are from animals that eat 100% organic feed
and are fed no antibiotics or growth hormones. The animals must be raised in humane conditions, with access to
the outdoors.

OTHER CLAIMS

Lables such as "free-range", "hormone-free" and "natural" may appear on food lables, but only
food certified by a government-approved certifier can be labled "organic".

To find out more about the national organic certification requirements and organic
program, please go to

Is organic healthier?

A study indicates some organic foods do have higher levels
of Vitamin C and body-boosting antioxidants but other products with organic components also have fats and other harmful substances

By SALLY SQUIRESThe Washington Post

Once confined solely to health-food stores,
farmers’ markets and food co-ops, organic food has gone mainstream: In 2000, more than half of the $7.8 billion of organic
food purchased in the United States was bought in conventional supermarkets, according to the Economic Research Service of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

There’s wide agreement that organic
food has fewer pesticides than conventionally grown fare. And there are certainly environmental and even ideological arguments
to support organic agriculture. But what about nutrition? Is organic food better for you? Does eating it reduce the risk of
disease and death?

No studies have systematically compared
organic food regimens against conventional fare to examine either short-term or long-term health. The research is simply too
expensive, time-consuming and difficult to do.

But a few studies have found that some
organic foods may have an edge in some nutrients, mostly vitamin C and other antioxidants. Last year,

University of California researchers in
Davis reported that organic strawberries, marionberries and corn beat out the same varieties grown conventionally or with
sustainable agricultural practices on vitamin C and on compounds called phenols, which are health-promoting phytonutrients.

So is there a health advantage
to eating organic?

"We can’t say one way or another,"
said Joseph Spence, director of the USDA’s Beltsville Nutrition Center and the department’s acting deputy administrator
for nutrition, food safety and quality. "We haven’t seen benefits demonstrated (from organic food) and we have looked.
... Despite all the claims that have been made, it’s really difficult to find any studies that show different nutritional
content of organically grown foods."

Nor is there any definitive evidence to
suggest that eating organic food, which usually carries less chemical residue than conventional fare, is directly linked to
a lower risk of cancer, heart disease or other common ailments. "But if you want to pick a set of chemicals to avoid, pesticides
would be at the top of the list," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group, a consumer
group and advocate for organic food. "What we’re talking about is a pretty significant reduction in exposure to pesticides
which are designed to be toxic. ... When you eat organic food, you’re getting food without added chemical pesticides,
and the more we look at them, the more hazardous they seem to be, particularly for infants and children."

Both the American Chemical Society and
the Organic Center for Education and Promotion have scientists looking at ways to investigate potential differences in organic
vs. conventional food. Until they sort out the questions, here’s what you need to know when considering the choice of
organic vs. conventional food:

·Organic
doesn’t mean pesticide-free. It simply refers to an "agricultural production system that maintains and improves
the soil and agricultural conditions," notes Cathy Greene, a USDA economist. "It also fosters cycling of resources, promotes
ecological balance and conserves biodiversity." By definition, organic food can’t have added pesticides, but it may
contain residues of pesticides from the soil where conventional crops have been grown in the past. Even so, organic pesticide
levels are limited to 5 percent or less of that allowed in conventional crops by the Environmental Protection Agency.

·Aim for variety in all
foods, including organic. It’s the best way both to increase intake of vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients
and to reduce the risk of potentially harmful substances, from man-made pesticides to naturally occurring mycotoxins. Plus,
the studies that underscore health benefits from eating more fruit and vegetables have almost entirely been done with conventional
— not organic — food. "We know that it is important to eat fresh fruit and vegetables and that the value of eating
those fruits and vegetables, whether conventionally grown or organic, is very strong," said Katherine DiMatteo, executive
director of the Organic Trade Association. "But there are certain vulnerable populations, like children, who may be affected
for the long term, because of the pesticide residues that are on conventionally grown fruit and vegetables."

·Go for less than perfect.
Most people choose plump, blemish-free produce. But it turns out that stress prompts plants to protect themselves by producing
more phytonutrients, the very substances that may also have beneficial effects for human health. "The reality is that the
beat-up-looking ones may be the richer ones in phytonutrients," Spence said.

·Find balance.
Even the most ardent supporters of organic food acknowledge that it’s not always available and may be too pricey for
some. Plus there are trade-offs, notes Nancy Creamer, director of North Carolina State University’s Center for Environmental
Farming Systems. Is it better for the environment to buy organic raspberries that have been flown in from California or to
purchase berries from a local farmer who grows conventionally? "It’s not an easy question to answer," said Creamer,
who buys both types for her family.

·Read the fine print.
Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s nutritious. Example: the organic, chocolate-covered, frozen
soy dessert bars cited by the Nutrition Action letter of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The bars, whose
ingredients include organic coconut oil, contain a third of a day’s worth of saturated fat. "Just because foods are
organically grown, they still could be loaded with organic fat and organic sugar, and they still could be contaminated with
dangerous bacteria," noted CSPI director Michael Jacobson when organic certification began being implemented in 2002.

·Prepare
to pay more. A 2000-2001 survey of wholesale market prices in Boston found that buyers spent 30 percent more
for organic broccoli compared with conventionally grown; 25 percent more for organic carrots and 10 percent more for organic
mesclun lettuce. Organic foods may have a shorter shelf life than conventionally grown food, which is often bred to be picked
green and then slowly ripen during shipping and sales.

·Free-range
doesn’t mean organic. When it comes to livestock foodstuffs — meat, dairy, eggs and poultry —
there’s no official definition of "free-range." But producers of organic meat, dairy and poultry items are required
to use 100 percent organically grown feed or pasture land and are prohibited from using antibiotics and growth hormones. By
comparison, products labeled simply "natural" or "free-range" don’t have to meet those standards.

·Grow your own.
No back yard or time to till? Then practice urban "farming" in large pots on your balcony or deck. They’re great for
small crops of lettuce or tomatoes.